Le Conte's Sparrow

Le Conte's Sparrow

Here is a species that has a reputation for behaving like a feathered mouse running through thick grass. Yet during the nesting season the males can be quite conspicuous as they sing from exposed perches.

The best place to find them is in wet grassy or sedgy fields where they can be common, especially in wet cycle years. The importance of wet vs. dry conditions was dramatically shown in the Jamestown area years ago where a study found essentially none during a drought year, yet there were hundreds the next year, a wet year.

To find one, it pays to know their insect-like song which can be likened to what a Grasshopper Sparrow would sound like if its bill was tied shut. By this it is meant that the song sounds forced and not free-flowing. The easiest places to find them may be in the Prairie Chicken Management Areas north of Mekinock, as well as the western end of Kellys Slough near the Cliff Swallow bridges (for directions go to the Site guides). Le Conte's is not an easy identification by plumage alone, compare carefully with Nelson's Sparrow and Grasshopper Sparrow.